Space and Solar System Word wall

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration the federal agency that that deals with aeronautical research and the development of launch vehicles and spacecraft.

Project Apollo The NASA project designed to land a man on the moon On 6 flights, 12 astronauts walked on the moon.

Project Gemini Second manned space flight project. 10 flights in 1965 and 1966.

Project Mercury NASA’s first manned space project May May 1963

Rotation The time it takes for one complete spin of a planet on its axis; the Earth’s rotation is 1 day

Rocket A tube shaped vehicle that contains combustible fuel that when ignited propels the tube.

Revolution The motion of the planet in its orbit around the Sun; the Earth’s revolution is 1 year

Galilean Moons Four moons of Jupiter discovered by Galileo Galilei in January 1610.

Gravity Force of attraction between objects. Varies with the mass of the object.

Orbit the curved path, usually elliptical, followed by a planet, satellite, spaceship, etc., around a celestial body, as the sun.

Satellite A celestial body orbiting another of larger size

Planet Any of the large bodies that revolve around a star in a star system

Meteorite A meteoroid that has entered the Earth’s atmosphere

Comet A small body orbiting the Sun and occasionally exhibits an atmosphere and a tail

Space Probe An unmanned spacecraft designed to explore the solar system and transmit data back to earth.

Space Station A science lab in a satellite that orbits the earth.

Space Shuttle A US space vehicle made of a manned orbiter and two solid rocket boosters.

Asteroid A small (less than 1 mile diameter) that orbits the sun usually between Mars and Jupiter.